March 24, 2026 by patmccloskey

The Beach

One of the cool things this time of year is winding the season down with spring activities at the ski areas. Pond jumps, costume parades, skiing in light clothing or shorts, and other frivolities celebrating the end of the end of ski season. Many of the areas have a place where people can sit and gather and enjoy the sun, The Beach at Deer Valley is a typical example where there are a bunch of Adirondack chairs just waiting for skiers to sit and relax and catch some late season rays. This time of year, you take what you can get. My wife loves the sun and he warmer temps, but is not a fan of skiing in the slush. But if you want to partake in late season skiing, if is usually frozen in the morning, then you get that late morning window of soft snow, then around lunch time it turns to slush and you can tough it out, or just go to …………The Beach.

A few years ago, I spent some time at The Beach in Arapahoe Basin with my two childhood friends, John and Richard Nicolette. I was a guest of Chipotle and invited my two friends to come. The Chipotle set up was at The Beach right above the main parking lot and there was a lot of good food and beverages. We came down after a good morning of skiing and had lunch at The Beach and enjoyed the afternoon sun at one of Colorado’s premier resorts. The skiing was good but the springtime festivities at the Beach were even cooler. People celebrating the end of the season in style before it just became too warm and interest waned.

Mt Bachelor Beach – a little cold that year.

Childhood friends John and Richard Nicolette at the Beach in A-Basin.

Jason Eshelman of Chair Report fame, doing his thing at the pond skim at Seven Springs, Pa.

Spring skiing can be fickle. Take this season for instance. The west had had a tough year with record high temperatures and early closings for a lot of ski areas. Local skiing here in Pa was excellent and cold with great snow for December, January and February and then the bottom fell out with an early closing after spring skiing activities. Due to un-forseen circumstances, Janet and I had to cancel a couple of western trips this year and our season ended early. My annual Mammoth trip was also cancelled. We didn’t get to ski with our friends Mike and Judy Smith. I was kind of bummed but immediately bought my Ikon and Epic passes for next season hoping for a record year. You have to take advantage of things while you can and although life gets in the way sometimes, you can look back and see all the good times from ski seasons gone by and think about the seasons ahead. I am grateful for what I have. Get those passes, talk about skiing this summer, hit the summer beaches, and before you know it, you will be back on be slopes again. I don’t like short seasons, but I know that they are an anomaly. So, the skis are waxed and sharpened and ready to go for 2026-2027. All my clothes are washed and ready when the first flakes fly. I put the bike rack on the Jeep and am ready for the transition. Thanks for reading and follow the blog on http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1

March 9, 2026 by patmccloskey

From the Best of Chronicles of McCloskey

Not a Pine Knot!

March 2, 2026 by patmccloskey

The Marginal Decade

View from the top of Mammoth Mountain, Ca.

So, I have been talking a lot about Dr. Peter Attia’s book “Outlive”, where he discusses the Marginal Decade. Basically, his position is that if you want to be rolling around the floor with your grandkids after 70 years old, you need to focus on fitness decades before. He goes on to say that if you wait to get healthy after 70, most of the time it is too late, and after 75, guys tend to ” fall off a cliff.” Kind of a sobering commentary from a doc who values exercise and healthy eating above all else. I say it is never too late, but it is harder if you wait too long.

The good news for me is that I always believed in healthy eating and exercise for most of my life. I also value the notion that you have to be moving and active to make it through that marginal decade from 70-80 years old. I am at the early stages of that decade. I always liked the saying,” you don’t stop doing things because you get old, you get old because you stop doing things.”

Take skiing for instance. Every season I think to myself, ” How is this going to go this year?” I feel good but are those turns going to come easy or will I start to struggle a little. Once I am out on the hill, I feel confident, and another ski season commences. Locally, I try to pound every inch out of my runs, and then the next thought is ” How will I do out west at the end of the season?” I know I will be fine with Janet, but will I be able to hang with my friend when we ski Tahoe and Mammoth together? But, like riding a bike, I just click into my bindings and let it rip and those thoughts usually disappear within the first few turns. Now, we are not 30 anymore and we recognize our age. But we can still ski most things and that is because we have paid attention to our exercise and diet. We are making the most out of the marginal decade and the idea to keep moving is paramount. Sure, I wonder how long I will be up for driving at the crack of dawn to my local ski area- Laurel Mountain and be one of the first in the parking lot. Or how long I will be able to schlepp our luggage and 50 pound rolling ski bag through airports. But as long as I can still do it, I will, because I know that if I stop, that will be the end. All that will be left are the memories of good times in the mountains. I will be just talking about it and not doing it. Not something I want in the near term.

Same with riding. I ride a mountain bike all year because I like to be outdoors. I am not a gym guy and no matter what the weather is, I put on my winter garb, ride my winter bike, and brave the cold weather and snow. Because I know if I stop, that will be the end of it and I will age accordingly. I want to maximize the marginal decade.

Also, when I think about this subject, I think about being there for Janet. We have a good life, thank the Lord, and I want to always be active doing things with her. It is important to maximize this decade even though she is not there yet. I married a younger girl. So, I better be active and healthy not only for me, but for her, and for………..us.

So, if you are a younger person, take the time to read “Outlive”. Dr. Peter Attia has a lot to say about preparing for the marginal decade. It all starts decades before. Pay attention to your health, stay active, and you will be able to continue to do what you like to do for a long time. Don’t wait until it is too late. You can do things with me and keep me in the game. LOL!! Ride and ski with the geezer. Thanks for reading and please follow the blog on http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com It helps me.

“The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.” Proverbs 16:9

February 23, 2026 by patmccloskey

From the Best of Chronicles of McCloskey

Breakfast at the Grange

February 16, 2026 by patmccloskey

Not Even Close

Usually when the Winter Olympics roll around, I get the usual comments from some of my friends who don’t ski. They ask….” Pat, can you ski that fast?” or “Pat- could you ski that downhill course?” I always chuckle because I think to myself,” not even close”. Sure, I can ski most slopes and trails. I have the technique to navigate most things. But people have no clue as to how fast a World Cup downhiller goes. I politely respond that I can ski most things but downhillers ski generally from 60-90 MPH on modern DH courses and that includes women. The men and women are amazingly talented, can ski solidly at high speed, and most people have no conception of just how fast that is.

I had the good fortune to see some World Cup and Can AM (now NOR AM) races, and to view them up close and personal was very enlightening. Take the Hahnenkamm in Austria. It is the Super Bowl of downhill racing. I got to witness the Crazy Canucks up close and personal. Their thighs were like tree trunks, and I said to myself that they could probably play professional football with those legs. Strong guys who took rock hard, marble like, courses at 70- 90 MPH. I saw the up and coming US and Canadian downhillers at Sugarloaf in the Can Am races and Todd Brooker was the star of the show at the time. Before winning the Hahnenkamm, he was a downhill phenom at a young age racing for Canada. He came by me so fast on the Narrow Gauge trail at Sugarloaf that I didn’t even have a chance to see much of his turn. I watched our women train at Mammoth a couple of years ago and was amazed at their strength and speed. You see, really, world class athletes are in a league of their own – thus making them….world class. Their talent is amazing and when someone asks me, especially at my age, if I can ski like that……I just chuckle.

A couple of my friends brag to me that they hit 70 MPH on skis. I laugh out loud and ask them how they know that. They said their wearable watch and I- Phone app tells them by GPS how fast they are going. I tell them that they have no idea how fast 70 MPH is on skis and neither do I, and their apps and watches are incorrect at best. Deceiving at worst. Whenever I hear that from someone I know who skis, I set them straight and tell them my stories. I educate them as to the folly of believing their apps. Because there is no way they are skiing anywhere near that speed.

Bode Miller can probably still reach World Cup speeds but then again…..he is Bode Miller

World Class talent is amazing and when you see it up close, you are amazed. I had the opportunity to ski with Phil Mahre one time and to see him dig trenches in the snow ahead of me with his strong, fast turns, I was amazed. The former World Cup Overall and Olympic champion showed me why he is ……world class.

Phil was funny too. A pleasure to take a few runs with- er ah behind him.

French skier Perrine Pelen smiles as she shows her two Olympic medals, 18 February 1984 in Sarajevo, at the Winter Olympic Games.

One time I saw the famous French slalom star Perrine Pelen race World Cup at Waterville Valley in New Hampshire. As I stood by the side of the women’s slalom course that day, I imagined how I would take a particular combination right in front of me. All of a sudden, Perrine comes down and was through the combination so fast, I didn’t really have a chance to see exactly how she did it. Again, world class talent is in another league even though I have been skiing for a long time. I really could not relate to how good she was, or Phil Mahre for that matter. In another league for sure.

The older I get, the more I respect the talent in events like the Olympics. I always joke that youth is wasted on the young, but in reality, world class athletics is a young person’s game. But it is important for people like us to keep moving and participate in sports that keep us fit and healthy. I love to watch the Olympics and other events where I see the world’s best compete. It inspires me to keep skiing and to constantly work on technique that will make me a better skier- even at my age. And when my non- skiing friends ask me again if I ski fast like the downhillers, I can chuckle and modestly say no way. But in my mind- when I am daydreaming………….maybe I think………………..YES!!!! LOL!! Thanks for reading and please follow the blog on Word Press. http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com It helps me.

“Be strong and courageous, do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua- 1:9

February 9, 2026 by patmccloskey

From the Best of Chronicles of McCloskey

Be a little part of History

February 2, 2026 by patmccloskey

Three Inches Lower

So, I was riding the chairlift with my pal Angelo Ross the other day at Laurel Mountain, Pa. and we discussed some things about ski technique. Angelo currently is the Education Development Manager for the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) and an examiner with the organization. I like to listen to what Angelo has to say and also to ski with him. I asked him for a tip or two since we were skiing together and he said, ” ski three inches lower.” Angelo went on to say that most of us ski with too tall a stance and really don’t utilize the ankle and knee joints like we should. My curiosity was peaked as I always thought I was skiing a little tall being a relatively lanky guy with long legs. Angelo said, try it. And I went on to work on it while he conducted his clinic that day.

I also thought about how I had shortened my ski poles and Janet’s ski poles to accommodate a lower stance and how I usually just touch the pole at the beginning of a turn to get the process started. But thinking back to our chairlift conversation, Angelo and I discussed how skiing and a lower athletic stance is key in many sports. Think about receiving a serve in tennis. If your ankles are flexed and your knees are flexed and you are in a lower position, you can move quickly laterally to handle the serve. Too upright and you don’t have the quickness to react. Angelo showed me his stiff arm on the chairlift and asked me to think of it like his leg. If it is stiff, you can’t really move the wrist too much but it you flex your arm, all the joints are more supple. Try it. Then think of your stiff, tall, legs in skiing and then think of how much better they work in a lower flexed position. Try getting 3 inches lower in your stance with flexed ankles and knees and see what happens. For me, it enables me to use the inside edge more efficiently and also flex my downhill leg and my inside leg for more efficient turns.

Probably will never get as low as Mikaela Shiffrin in a GS but look at that stance and see flex of everything.

Look at Paula Moltzan’s knees. Even her rock, solid downhill leg is flexed for more efficiency.

Angleo and I also discussed the need for a lower position and flexed, athletic stance in basketball. Guarding someone, if you are too tall in your stance, you have again, like tennis, no lateral quickness. But if you have a lower, flexed, athletic stance, you can react more quickly and guard your opponent more efficiently. My friend the Shark chimed in with a football analogy. He said same thing goes for a linebacker. You see them flexed with their hands out in front, ready to attack the opposing running back. Too tall and too stiff, the back is by you in a flash. But if you are ready with your hands out front, like skiing, and your joints flexed, everything moves much more efficiently. You make those needed tackles.

In short, a flexed, athletic stance in a lower position is helpful in many sports. Try skiing sometime with no poles and get as low as you can and see if you can grab a handful of snow with your inside hand without leaning back. A good exercise to get lower. Try skiing holding your poles halfway down the shaft and see if that helps you to get lower. You will be amazed how much more agile and efficient your turns are and how you can utilize both skis in a turn.

For those of you who do not ski, think about the sports that you may participate in and see the benefits of flexed joints and a lower stance. I am always trying to improve. Angelo also noted that when we ride mountain bikes together, we are flexed over the handlebars and pedals going downhill to allow more efficient descending. If you are too stiff, you are over the bars and into the woods. Again, I always am trying to learn and see how good positioning is key in a lot of sports, even those that I participate in outside of skiing. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but I am a testimony to the false nature of that statement. I am never too old or proud to take a tip from a guy like Angelo, and for all of us seniors, keep learning. Keep trying new things, trying new equipment, and never get complacent. For us skiers, get three inches lower. You will be amazed at how that tip helps. Thanks for reading and if you would, please follow the blog on http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com It helps me.

“Treat others with the same kindness you wish to receive” – Matthew 7:12

January 26, 2026 by patmccloskey

The Green Woolies

So how many of you have a pair of 50 year old pants that still fit you? How many of you have pants or anything else for that matter that you can still use at 50+ years old? I got these pants when I worked up at Sugarloaf Maine teaching skiing many years ago. It was cold up there. 40 below straight temps most mornings and I even wore these under my ski pants instead of long underwear when it was bitter cold. They are warm, they are comfortable and they still fit. Amazing.

I wear these pants these days is when it is cold in the parking lot at our church when I am on parking team duty. The guys always make fun of me wondering when I will pull out the green woolies. They can gauge how cold it is by my pants. LOL!!! I also wear them on hikes in the winter when I am not riding or skiing. I must admit that when it hits the teens and single digits with a 30 MPH wind, my riding ceases. I am not that tough anymore, and I also don’t have studs in my tires for the snow and ice issues. The melting and refreezing tends to make the trails a little dicey. I also don’t have a fat bike. I am just not that hard core anymore. But I will still bring out the woolies for a nice winter hike. Then back on the bike when the temps moderate bit ,and the trails are no longer icy.

The winter bike takes a break if there is ice on the trails.

As much as I like to ride mountain bikes and ski, there is something nice about just putting on my tunes in my earpieces and listening to my old music from back in the day. I don’t have to pay much attention to what I am doing, and just hiking along gives me the freedom to daydream and think about all the fun times I had when I first listened to this music. Bonnie Raitt, Karla Bonoff, Jackson Browne, the Dead, Poco, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Flying Burrito Brothers, The Byrds, and on and on and on. All good music that has stood the test of time and reminders of people, friends, and events from back in the day. On a snowy day it is almost like I am transported back in time as I listen to all of this old stuff. Old like my green woolies.

Judy and Janet on their snowshoes. Another winter pastime

This past weekend we got a big dump and I hauled out the snowshoes. Same tunes, same woolies, and more transports back in time. Fat bikes and studs on tires are great, but sometimes there is even too much snow for them. Lot of dedicated guys ride all winter, but sometimes it is a bit much for me and I can get lost on the trails with my hiking boots or snowshoes. I don’t like to exercise indoors. I like to be outside in whatever weather that is thrown at me, I like the fresh winter air, the solitary snow- covered trails, and the opportunity to wear my nice ski parkas with a pair of 50 year old pants from LL Bean.

Jan and I even snowshoed in our neighborhood. Big storm for us.

Another old piece of clothing that I have is my original Patagonia gray fleece pullover. This item I have had for about as long as the woolies and I recently posted an old picture of me wearing it from the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. I sent it to Patagonia ,and they posted it on their web site and it got 28,000 hits. People probably like the old pullover and the story behind it.

So, if you have an old piece of clothing that you like, hang on to it for as long as you can. If it serves you well, that is great. If it is just for nostalgia, that is cool too. The stories in those pieces of clothing are well worth the space it takes up in your closet. Janet just shakes her head at me, but deep down she realizes that the stories are good and the mocking of my friends is well worth the pain of keeping the items. I laugh with them, but I bet they don’t have clothing like that. Legendary! Thanks for reading. Enjoy the snow and winter and remember to follow the blog on http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com It helps me.

“By the breath of God, ice is given. And the broad waters are frozen fast” -Job-37,9-10